IslamicFinance.de

American Express said it had not witnessed a rise in credit card debt in the Gulf region, despite over a third of households reporting they had spent more than they planned last year and one in four in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) saying they had contributed less to their savings and pension. Despite the economic headwinds across the region, Amex's research titled 'Spending Habits in the GCC: A Research Report' shows little slowdown in the volume of spending, CEO Mazin Khoury said. Khoury told Zawya he had not seen any increase in levels of credit card debt and that he was not concerned about changes in repayment trends, despite rising consumer spending levels and a more challenging financial environment as a result of lower oil prices and slower economic growth.